Weston takes control at half to advance to SWC semifinals

Published 9:22 pm, Thursday, May 18, 2017

The Bobcats didn’t have much luck containing the Trojans last week as they fell 12-7, but under the bright lights of the SWC playoffs, Brookfield had another shot at Weston.

And they couldn’t have started off any better by scoring just nine seconds into the contest, but the Trojans showed why they were one of the top teams in the league this year by seizing control at halftime on their way to a 10-6 victory in the SWC girls lacrosse tournament quarterfinals Thursday at Weston High.

“It’s our first postseason game so obviously we had jitters, but I think we got them out and once we settled down, we were able to get the ball going on attack,” said Weston’s Grace Toner, whTroo racked up five goals. “It’s a team effort, and when we work well together we can get certain people the ball. We don’t care who scores the goals as long as they’re going in.”

Second-seeded Weston (14-3) advances to the tourney semifinals where the Trojans will host the winner of the No. 6 Masuk/No. 3 Pomperaug quarterfinal on Monday at 7 p.m. Brookfield (9-8), the No. 7 seed, will now gear up for the Class M state tournament.

Tessa Ryan, who had a hat trick for the Bobcats, gave the visitors a 1-0 lead off the faceoff after just nine seconds came off the clock. The Trojans responded, however, with six straight goals to grab a 6-1 lead (8:55).

Toner tied the score at 1-1 off an assist from Nicole Werner (16:35). That was the junior’s 100th career point.

Taylor Moore (16:23), Madison Wilson from Toner in transition (13:47), Werner (12:24), Toner in transition (9:03) and Moore (8:55) each were credited with goals during the Trojans’ run.

“It’s always tough in the postseason and every team comes out hard,” Weston head coach Kristin Keneally said. “We didn’t come out strong but we regrouped and we were able to push through that and play as a team.

“Grace has been amazing,” she added. “The amount she has stepped up has been incredible. We have Taylor Moore and we have Nicole Werner, who have always been threats offensively, but to throw Gracie in the mix this year, you can’t stop just one player.”

Ryan (6:22) and Alex Heckmann off a free position (2:53) cut the Trojans’ lead to 6-3 and it seemed the Bobcats were gaining some momentum going into halftime. Unfortunately for them, Weston would find the back of the net just seconds before intermission when Moore scooped up a groundball and fed Toner for the goal (6.9).

Toner tacked on two more goals in the first nine minutes of the second half on a wraparound (19:16) and another on a nifty move in front of the net (15:56) to increase the Trojans’ lead to 9-3.

“We came out really strong in the first 10 minutes and then let up a little bit,” Brookfield head coach Catherine Haase said. “There was a point when Weston was ahead by five or six and they played keep-away and we weren’t able to get the ball back soon enough. And we weren’t able to win the draw as much as Weston did. Unfortunately, we came up a little short, but the girls worked hard all the way until the end.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Grace Toner, Weston. The junior finished with five goals and recorded her 100th career point in the Trojans’ 10-6 win over Brookfield.

KEY PLAY

After Brookfield netted two straight goals to cut Weston’s lead to 6-3 late in the first half, the Trojans tacked on a goal by Grace Toner off an assist by Taylor Moore with 6.9 seconds remaining until halftime to push the lead back to four, and the Bobcats could get no closer from there.

QUOTABLE

“We have a lot of seniors and they want it so bad,” Keneally said. “I think even when we’re not playing our best, their heart pulls us through in the games.”

UNSUNG HERO

Taylor Moore, Weston. Despite drawing a great deal of defensive attention, the senior standout and top all-time point scorer in the program’s history recorded a hat trick and an assist to help the Trojans advance to the SWC semifinals.

MILESTONES

Along with Toner’s 100th career point, Brookfield goalie Teja Gallop registered her 500th career save in the first half. Haase said Gallop, a four-year starter, is the heart and core of the team’s defense and will play at Stony Brook next year.